ASHLAND — Firefighters in and around the borough responded to a two-alarm fire around 1:45 a.m. Monday that destroyed a single home on Walnut Street.

Fire units from five municipalities converged on a fully-involved structure fire at 325 Walnut St., with the front porch and living room in flames. Ashland police Officer Raymond Tonkinson and Fire Chief Philip C. Groody were the first to arrive after the alarm was sounded. No one was in the house when the fire began.

The family of Patrick Cooney, a resident of 333 Walnut St. and a borough councilman, came outside after hearing a car horn warning people of the fire in the neighboring home.

“I heard this car horn blowing and when I came out and it was like, ‘Wow!’ The whole front was on fire,” Cooney said. “The whole inside was engulfed. I looked around the back and didn’t see any smoke coming from there. There were people coming around after hearing the horn. I don’t know who called it in.”

According to the Schuylkill County Parcel Locator, the property is owned by Farah Al Khoury, who purchased it in July 2017.

Firefighters brought the blaze under control by 2:30 a.m., with fire trucks beginning to leave the scene about an hour later. Rock salt was spread where water began to freeze as temperatures hovered in the mid-20s.

“We were dispatched to this address to a porch on fire somewhere around a quarter to 2 and upon arrival, this dwelling was fully involved,” Groody said after the fire was extinguished. “The second alarm was sounded right away. The second alarm brought our surrounding mutual aid companies. The fire was under control in about 45 minutes. The building is a total loss.”

Groody said the structure had no one inside and the owner was being located.

“The problem is we don’t know where the owners are. The building is owned by people from out of the area,” he said. “I talked to the neighbors, who said the (owner’s) car is not here, so they were assuming no one was inside. At that point, we did a primary search with the first engine crew coming in on the first and second floors, and thank God it was empty.”

Fire companies responding to both alarms were from Ashland, Girardville, Butler Township, West Mahanoy Township and Mount Carmel.

Groody said the state police fire marshal was expected to arrive this morning for the investigation.

“It’s an interior fire and we’re in the process right now to determine the cause,” Groody said. “It looks like it started in the front room. We just don’t have it nailed down.”

State police fire marshal Trooper Janssen M. Herb of the Reading station came to the scene around 7 a.m. and investigated with fire department officials.

“At this point, it is being considered undetermined and under investigation,” Groody said after speaking with Herb. “There is nothing conclusive.”

Contact the writer: jusalis@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6023

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